Determinants of alcohol and tobacco use among medical students of a Medical College in South India

Background: Undergraduate (UG), as well as postgraduate (PG), medical students are exposed to daily stressors, which can lead to substance use and abuse. Substance abuse remains a covert yet well-known phenomenon among medical students and medical practitioners globally. Objective: To study the determinants of alcohol and tobacco consumption among medical students of a Medical College in South India Methods: An institution based cross sectional study was carried out among 612 students present on the day of the survey. In beginning the concerned batch in-charge was contacted; date and time was fixed; students were asked to sit in single row so that confidentiality is maintained. Students name or any other personal identification information was not asked. Questionnaire was given to all at same time and collected exactly after 10 minutes such that discrimination was avoided. Same procedure was followed for all the medical students of 5 batches. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 16. Results: The prevalence of alcohol use was 21.24%. The prevalence of tobacco use was seen only in 34 students i.e. 5.55%. Batch year, being male, residing at their own house or outside the college in a private hostel or room, and belonging to problem family were significantly associated with alcohol use. Only being male was statistically significant with tobacco use. Males were 10.5 times more likely to use tobacco compared to females. Conclusion: Prevalence of alcohol use at young age of studies was very high and it increased as the seniority increased. Counselling of these students in the first year of admission could help prevent further increase in the addictions